Casting Call: Mandrake the Magician

In 1934 Mandrake the Magician made his debut in the comic strips. Now Warner Bros. Entertainment is bringing him to the big screen and Sacha Baron Cohen will star.

If you’re not familiar with Mandrake the Magician he was created by Lee Falk during the Great Depression, a time in our nation’s history when adventurous comic strips became popular for their morale-building appeal.

Mandrake uses his powers of hypnotism and illusion to combat crime. Mandrake is described as:

“A suave and sophisticated man of mystery, Mandrake often battles the most remarkable and inventive villains while attired in formal black-tie and tails. Equally at home at a swank society affair or among the colorful denizens of the underworld, Mandrake is world famous for his many remarkable feats. His powers do not come from any supernatural source; rather, he is the world’s foremost illusionist and hypnotist. Amazingly, despite the natural explanations for his marvels, Mandrake’s adventures often border on the miraculous. He has traced his mysteries into other dimensions and planets, tracked werewolves to their lair, and has dealt with alien races and human specters. And his adventures have also spanned the globe, taking him to the mysterious Orient, the deserts of North Africa, and even to the strange and magical land of Hollywood. This unflappable crusader has operated mostly as a lone wolf, but in recent years he has worked closely with the secret government agency, Inter-Intel. There, a cigar-chomping robot named “Chief” directs Mandrake to Ho-Jo, the head of Inter-Intel, who outlines the thrills that await. Like so many of us, Mandrake is not immune to family troubles. He has an evil twin, Derek, and a younger sister, Leonore, who have often made life difficult for him.”

With Sasha’s track record we can be 80% sure that this will be a comedy, but with writer David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner, 12 Monkey’s) we might just be going down the right path. Mandrake the Magician will be directed Etan Cohen (Get Hard) and does not have a release date as of yet.

Are you interested in Mandrake the Magician? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.